1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to blinds and, more specifically, to a vertical retractable blind.
2. Description of the Related Art
A vertically adjustable blind generally comprises a headrail, a bottom rail suspended below the headrail, and a blind body connected between the headrail and the bottom rail. Except the advanced motor-driven designs, a vertically adjustable blind further comprises a lift cord suspended from the headrail at one side for operation by hand to control the elevation of the bottom rail.
Further, conventional vertically adjustable blinds commonly include two types. The first type (for example, a Venetian blind) has parallel slats that are arranged in a stack when the blind received, or spaced apart when the blind extended out. The second type (for example, a pleated blind or honeycomb shade) has a single sheet of blind body formed of a piece of cloth or paper coated with a coating and folded into pleats. These two types of vertical adjustable blinds have different effects. A Venetian blind can be controlled to tilt the slats so as to regulate the light. A pleated blind or honeycomb shade is adapted to soften the light. However, conventional pleated or honeycomb blinds cannot be used to regulate light as a Venetian blind does. Further, because the lift cords of conventional blinds are exposed to the outside, they destroy the sense of beauty of the blind, and children can reach the exposed lift cord easily. An accident may occur when a child pulling the lift cord of a blind for fun.
The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a vertical retractable blind, which keeps the cord members concealed and out of reach of children.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a vertical retractable blind, which enables the user to extend or receive the blind easily.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a vertical retractable blind, which has a simple structure.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a vertical retractable blind, which provides versatile functions.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the vertical retractable blind comprises a headrail transversely fastened to the top side of the window, a lifting rail extended in transverse direction below said headrail and vertically movable relative to said headrail, and two positioning cords. The positioning cords each have a first end connected to said headrail and a second end respectively extended across said lifting rail and fixedly secured to a respective fixed point outside said lifting rail to provide a tension force to said lifting rail. A blind body is connected between said headrail and said lifting rail and vertically extended out/received subject to vertical movement of said lifting rail. The main blind body has a plurality of transverse pleats arranged in parallel.
According to an alternate form of the present invention, the vertical retractable blind further comprises a bottom rail fixedly provided below the lifting rail to secure the second ends of the positioning cords, and a supplementary blind body provided between the lifting rail and the headrail.